Into the Night: Hustle, Hoya and more on parties with a principle

Welcome to one of the best clubs scenes going. But how did it get this good? We asked the guys behind a bunch of our fave nights to reflect on what inspired them to put on their own parties

Feature by Daniel Jones | 08 Sep 2014

Hustle

What? A weekly house and disco night taking place all over Liverpool, merging the old school with the new to play the very best of past, present and future sounds.

Who? Past guests include Marcel Vogel, Rahaan, Atjazz and Delano Smith. 

Why? "When I was at uni, the club scene in Liverpool was quite vibrant at first. I remember coming over to this side of the water from Belfast and stumbling across Liverpool night Cookie Dough, which was playing some great US house music. Circus was still on that West Coast house tip, which I quite liked, but from my perspective the popular sounds went much more minimal after that and a lot of the soulful influences were stripped out of the wider dance scene. The first night I hosted in Liverpool back in 2007 was with one of my all-time favourite DJs, Louie Vega of Masters at Work. I got the bug from there.

"Hustle has been running for some two years now. Our DJs are chosen on their selection skills first and foremost. However, most important, I feel, is the people the night has been attracting, I have yet to go to a friendlier party in this city or perhaps many others; it’s a real attitude-free zone. We have the second instalment of our birthday coming up, with San Soda and Lovebirds at The Magnet. Also, a new weekly 100-capacity free entry Saturday after-hours (also at The Magnet), where Hustle residents play alongside a handful of special guests… as well as a night with Wolf Music in October!" [James Morgan]

Hoya:Hoya

What? Last Saturday of every month at the The Roadhouse. A crew consisting of Chunky, Eclair Fifi, Fox, Illum Sphere, Jon K, Jonny Dub, Krystal Klear, Lone and Emmanuel Biard on visuals come together with the odd unannounced guest.

Who? Four Tet, Pariah, Ben UFO have all been secret guests.

Why? "When we were teenagers at the turn of the millennium, there were a lot less nights than today, as well as a lot fewer clubs putting on good music. Parties like Friends & Family, Electric Chair, Eyes Down and Keep It Unreal managed to grow and thrive for many years, ultimately inspiring a lot about what we brought to Hoya. The main thing that inspired us to set up the night was that we wanted to do our own thing, and to be able to play what we wanted in a space that we could make our own.

"Hoya brings a good party, a sense of community through clubbing, and continues the tradition of exploring as many flavours of the musical palate [as possible] to bring new sounds and old into the club environment. Plans for the future are more parties, more focus on the label side of things, and more work to build ourselves as artists and as a collective." [Jonny Dub] 


"We met at uni, and share a love of spending time listening to music in dark rooms at the weekends" – Matt Pidgeon, Less Effect


Less Effect

What? A fledgling Liverpool night at 24 Kitchen Street, with a focus on providing Merseyside debuts for a plethora of bass heavy artists and local talent.

Who? Past guests: Objekt, Rich Furness. 

Why? "Liverpool has always had a really strong club scene and nights such as Chibuku, Abandon Silence, Eat Your Greens and Waxxx have brought a diverse range of artists to the city over the years. We met at uni, and share a love of spending time listening to music in dark rooms at the weekends. It kind of felt like Liverpool’s scene was playing things safe and there weren't many nights playing the mix of stuff we wanted to hear.

"It’s all about quality of sound, too. In our opinion too many nights don't put enough effort into their sound when it's arguably the most important factor, so we like to make sure our choice of system represents the music we play. We’re really looking forward to our birthday night with Om Unit and Alex Coulton making their Liverpool debuts. We're also really excited about another date we're planning, which we can't tell you about yet…" [Matt Pidgeon] 

So Flute

What? A self-proclaimed melting pot of worldwide music that focuses on bringing a strong, soulful undercurrent to Manchester. Steadily growing to become a stalwart of the city’s Friday night calendar.

Who? Andres, Gilles Peterson, Floating Points and DJ Spinna have all played.

Why? "At uni, we often went to smaller clubnights such as Sex with Robots, Now Wave and Hoya:Hoya, but we’d also occasionally spot a lineup at The Warehouse Project that we'd be down for. When we could all afford it, we'd go to Keep It Unreal. There are many more clubnights aimed at the student demographic nowadays, though the quality is often questionable.

"We had a desire to play music that wasn't just house music, and prove that there was a great party to be had by having an eclectic music policy that kept the dancefloor on its toes. We didn't feel that many nights were doing this, especially the nights run by younger people. We have a fantastic core crowd that consistently spreads happy, relaxed vibes throughout the club. This coupled with the soulful, eclectic music that we play makes for a really nice atmosphere. We have a really big show lined up in September that features a Detroit don, as well as a guy signed to Theo Parrish's Sound Signature label." [Dan Flynn]




 

 

 

Hustle: @HustleLiverpool Hoya:Hoya: hoyahoya.co.uk, @hoya_hoya Less Effect: @Less_Effect So Flute: @So_Flute